'We're not paying him to coach football': Rob Ford catches heat after ditching meeting for game

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford slipped out of executive committee meeting for football practice

As the mayor’s executive committee grappled with looking for a private Casa Loma operator and had an emotional discussion about its anti-discrimination policy, Rob Ford was coaching high school football players.

“We had our first football game up in Newmarket and if I’m not there the kids don’t play,” Mr. Ford told reporters on Tuesday in defending his decision to slip out of the room at 2:30 p.m. on Monday and miss the subsequent five-and-a-half hours of the committee he heads.

“It started at 4:30 and very few times does it conflict with my schedule so that’s why I had to leave two hours before.”

The mayor’s office did not respond on Monday to reporters wondering where he had gone, but in a statement the following day his press secretary confirmed he was coaching the Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School Eagles.

George Christopoulos added that the mayor “was comfortable leaving knowing there were no contentious issues remaining on exec. agenda and the fact that the remaining items were left in the capable hands of other committee members.”

An online posting described the pre-season event as a “jamboree” consisting of four team scrimmage. The mayor had asked councillors if they wanted to work through lunch, but they declined.

Councillor Adam Vaughan offered Mr. Ford’s choice for football over city hall as more proof that he’s a “part-time” mayor.

Torontonians are “not paying him to coach football, they’re paying him to be the mayor. When you’re debating the things like the police budget they expect the mayor to be at the committee he chairs.”

But Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said it’s unlikely the mayor’s presence would have changed any outcomes on a committee stacked with his allies. The mayor was present to approve a new Port Lands plan, which Mr. Holyday considered the most pertinent item.

“I wouldn’t expect him to miss something that was critical or important over football. His first responsibility is to be mayor,” said Mr. Holyday, who was not told where the mayor went to on Monday. He noted that former mayors David Miller and Mel Lastman missed parts of executive or council meetings and no one seemed to care.

Mr. Ford’s passion for football — and his private foundation that raises money to buy football equipment for students who cannot afford it — has been in the spotlight lately. He was in court last week on allegations he broke conflict of interest rules when he voted to relieve himself of paying back donations to the foundation that had been improperly obtained. If found guilty, he could be ordered out of office.

But whether the mayor’s supporters will care about his decision to skip work for football is not clear. At the annual Ford Fest last week, several guests said they thought the court case had been blown out of proportion. “It’s more of a witch hunt,” said Andre Visser, 37. “He is trying to help kids,” said Emilio Calderon, 77.

The mayor, meanwhile, brushed off the criticism. “I work harder than any mayor ever has,” he said. And to anyone who may have been hoping for an audience with the mayor at the executive, he said they can call him. “I return all of my phone calls,” he said.